Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Zakka Box

I left a comment on the Inside Out magazine blog the other day about Zakka Box, a new store I'd sidled past and ogled through the window because it was closed. It turns out the Inside Out folk actually read their comments and Lee Tran (Deputy Chief Sub Editor) has written a review of Zakka Box today! I had an opportunity to visit Zakka Box in person on Saturday and it did not disappoint. I was happy to see that its stock is made in Japan (not just cheap Made In China replicas) and not horrendously overpriced, as many Japanese imports tend to be. Some of my favourite items were the wooden stamp sets, Japanese masking tape (yes, I'm addicted), the Bulb Cup by Tetsu Sumii and Soshi Takita (made from a recycled light bulb - the animation on the website reminds me of "Mr Sparkle" from The Simpsons) and the Shinzi Katoh homewares. They stock a lot of other cool +d stuff too.

The service is fantastic, there is free gift-wrapping and batteries, and your change and receipt are placed in a little tray on the counter, Japan-style. Seriously, I haven't had this much fun since I last visited the hakyu-en.